Means for mounting covers on mechanism cases



. Jan. 13, 1948. vF. s. CRAIG MEANS FOR MOUNTING COVERS ON MECHANISM CASES l Filed Sept. 29, 1944 :Snuentor UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR MOUNTING COVERS N MECHANISM CASES Frank S. Craig, Chili, N. Y., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N. Y.

Application September 29, i944, Serial No. 556,303

1 Claim. (C1. 292-256) This invention relates to fastening means for the covers of moisture proof casings, and more particularly to spring pressed hasp fasteners and hinges for giving equalized pressure between the casing and its associated cover on all sides.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide spring pressed hinges in spaced relation corresponding to the spaced relation of spring pressed hasps which can be simulpair oi these supports 2 at equally spaced positions on each side of the casing.

A guide pin is adapted to be received through suitable holes in the protruding lugs of each support 2 and this guide pin 3 can be suitably fastened into position by washers and Cotter keys as seen in Fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 6, it can be seen that the guide pin 3, when used on the hinged side of the cover, passes through a bushing 4, a

tancously actuated to toggle locked positions to li) hinge spring link and another bushing 6. In sive equalized pressures throughout the periphery other words, the hinge spring links e on the 0f the COVeI OI sealing the gasket between the right-hand side of the cover as seen in Fig. 1 are cover and its casing. pivotally supported on their respective guide pins Another object of the present invention is to on that side of the casing. These hinge spring Provide spring hasps and hinges with proper l5 links 5 are thus heldin central positions on their dimensions and suicient duplicate means as to respective guide pins 3 by bushings f and 5. provide for the interchangeability of the hinges Upper and lower guide lugs I2 on each side of and hasps t0 Opposite sides 0f the COVer t0 thereby the cover C are separated with the same spacing Demt the COVeI t0 be mounted t0 SWIlg ill either as their corresponding support members 2 on that selected direction with respect to its casing. 2u side of the casing. Each of these guide lugs i2 Other objects and adVehteges 0f the present nave two extending portions which have receiving invention Will appeal es the description pTO- slots adapted to receive the respective guide pins gresses and the novel features of the invention and their bushings As seen in Figs, 3, 4, 5 and, Will be HlOle DeltCl/leliy Pointed 011C in the el)n 6, these slots are sufliciently wide as to receive pended claim. not only the pin but the bushings Il and which In describing the invention in detail, reference center the hinge spring links, and similarly pass will be made to the accompanying drawings in over the spring 1 and bushing 9 used on the hook which: side of the casing.

Fig. l is a front view of a cover suitably located 0n the left Side of the casing seen in Fig. 1, on a mechanism casing by the spring hasps and 3o the hooked spring links s are respectively rehinges embodying the present invention; eeived by the guide pins 3 and are heid in central Fig. 2 is a side view of the cover and its casing positions on such guide pins by reason oi the coil to show the spring pressed hasp mechanism of springs 'i and the bushings 9 4(see Fig. 5). The the present invention; coil springs 1 act to cause a slight amount of Fia 3 is a seCtOhel plan VieW taken 0n line 35 friction with respect to the movement of the 3 3 0f Fig. 2; respective hooked spring links 8 so that they will Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 3 but remain in the positions to which they are moved illustrating the hinges and hasps as being on when they are not engaged in pressing the cover opposite sides of the cover to illustrate the interinto position. changeability of the parts; 40 The portion of each guide lug l2 adjacent the Fig, 5 is a fragmentary sectional View of one cover is adapted to receive a pivot pin i3. On the of the guide pins and the associated means when hinge side of the cover, these pivot pins Iii act as it is used to mount a hooked spring link adapted the pivot points on the hinge spring links 5, but to cooperate with the hasps; and on the opposite side of the cover they act to Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, but 45 pivotally support one end of the hasp H (see shows a guide pin and associated means when Fig. 3). it s employed as the pivot point of a hinge spring This hasp H has a free end which can be link. moved to an open position so that its U-shaped Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that hook receiving portion I3 can engage the hooked a cover plate C is mounted to enclose a mechaspring links 8 as seen in Fig. 3, and then be Riem casing MC with an intervening gasket G. moved to a closed position so as to create a This gasket G surrounds the entire periphery of toggle relation between the hook pivot point on the cover and provides a moisture proof seal the guide pin 2 and the pivot point lli of the when the coverCis pressed in position. Referring hasp H. In this Way, tension is placed on the to the sectional view of Fig. 3, it can be seen how hooked spring links 8 corresponding to the tenthe gasket G is mounted on a protruding ledge sion placed on the hinge spring links 5 so that of the cover and against an inner wall. the cover C is pressed against the mechanism A guide pin support member 2 is riveted to the casing MC with equal force throughout the pecasing MC at each of four points as shown in riphery of the cover this embodiment of the invention. There is a It should also be noticed with reference to Fig.

3 3, that when the cover is pressed into position by reason of the resiliency of the spring links and 8, that theguide pins 3 do not seat at the `base or bottom of the slots in the guide lugs I2, and for this reason the cover is wholly held against its mechanism casing with the intervening gasket G by reason of the pressure supplied by the spring links 5 and 8. On the other hand, whenV the hasp H is moved to its open position and the hooked spring links 8 are disengaged, the cover -C swings outward on the left-hand side as seen in Fig. 3. As this occurs, the pressure against the gasket G on the right-hand side is relieved, and the hinge springs 5 press the cover toward the guide,

pins 3 so that the base of the slots in the guide lugs I2 contact the bushings 4 and E on the guide pins 3 and thus serve to provide the hinge pivot points. In other words, the guide lugs I2 with their slotted extending portions have the dual purpose of guiding the cover into position and acting as the hinge pivot points when the cover C is swung outwardly.

It will be readily appreciated that the removal of the guide pins 3 and the pivot pins I0 will permit the hinge spring links 5 to be transferred to the left-hand side of the casing; while the hooked spring links 8 may be transferred to the righthand side of the casing (see Fig. 4). Also, the hasp H should be pivoted by the pivot pins I on the right-hand side ofthe cover instead of on the left-hand side. With reference to Figs. 5 and 6 it will be seen that the springs 'I (shown in Fig. 2 as being on the left-hand side of the casing) should be transferred to the right-hand side of the casing with the hooked spring links 8, and the bushings 4 are transferred to the lefthand side of the casing with the hinge spring links 5. Since the staple S is located on the center line of the cover, the free end of the hasp H cooperates therewith regardless of whether the hasp is pivoted at the left or the right-hand side of the casing. In this way, the fastening organization of the present invention not only accomplishes the functional purposes of such a fastening organization, but also is adaptable to provide for the interchangeability of the parts in a way that the cover C may be hinged to swing from either side as desired.

It is also seen that the slotted guide lugs I2 are slightly moved away from the guide pins 3 on the hinge side as the cover C is being closed,'and when the hasp H by reason of its U-shaped portion I3 grasps the open hooks of the members 8, pressure is evenly applied on bcth of the locking spring links at the same time, thus causing the proper cooperation and even distribution of pressure on the cover thereby eliminating any possibility of a tilting of the cover out of its normal range of closing movement so. that the guide lugs I'2 properly and evenlyalign with their respective support members 2 and guide pin assemblies. In other words, the simultaneous operation of' the pair of locking spring toggle means on the opening side of the door, readily cooperates to uniformly control the swinging and closure of the door so that even pressure on the .hinge spring links 5 is obtained during such operation.

It should be appreciated that the present invention may be applied to various types of covers and mechanism casings, and it may be desirable to provide three hinges and three locking springs on opposite sides of thecover and casing, or other combinations of hinges and locking springs may be employed andstill embody the principles of the present invention, However, in order to protionships.

videfor the interchangeability of parts to reverse the direction in which the cover is swung, it is necessarythat a corresponding number of hinges and locking springs beprovided on opposite sides of the door and in correspondingly spaced rela- Although it is preferable to employ a singlehasp to act on all of the locking springs for reasons described above, it may be desirable in some applications of the invention to use a separate .haspfor each locking spring.

Although only one specific form has been shown anddescribed as embodyingthe present invention, it should be understood that various forms and modifications may be made to the particular embodiment'without in any way departing vfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention except as limited by the appended claim.

WhatI claim is:

In an.; organization, providing interchangeable hinging and; fastening means for a non-symmetrical coverasociated with a mechanism casing of,V corresponding symmetry, a pair of spaced guide pins attached to each side of the mechanism casing, apailof. correspondingly spaced slotted guide lugson each side of the cover and adapted to receive said `guide pins within their respective slots for centering the cover with respect to the casingbutc'said slots being sufficiently deep so that the guide: doy not rest in the base of the slots wherrsaidz--cover is in a closed position, a pair ci` hinge spring links adapted to be received by the respective guide, pins on either selected side of said casing and pivotally attached to said cover on' that side, a pair of locking spring links adapted; to be receivedbythe respective guide pins on either selected side of said casing but located on. that side opposite to the side selected for said hinge links, said locking spring links having open ended hooks, a hasp member adapted at one end to be pivotally attached on either selected side of saidcover but located on that side selected for said locking spring links, said hasp member having means atone side of its pivot point to receive said 'open ended hooks of said locking spring links to give a toggle action to said hasp member when moved to a closed position, and a single staple located-at the center of said cover and adapted to receive the free end of the hasp member when it is in a closed position regardless of the side of the cover selected for its mounting, whereby said cover is held in a closed position by bothpairs of spring links when the hasp member-is in a closed position but when the hasp member is in an lopen position the hinge spring links act vto cause the slotted lugs to seat on said guide pinsand act as hinge members throughout the limits of the swinging movement of said cover, and whereby the parts forming the hinging and fastening organization are interchangeable from one side of the cover and casing t0 the opposite side so as to provide for hinging the cover for opening inthe desired direction.

FRANK S. CRAIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,344,327 Runge,r..., l Mar. 14, 1944 2,309,279 Y Smythe. Jan. 26, 1943 V2,349,486- Crosman May; 23, 1944 

